Information on 740 16 Valve (B234F)

[swedishsledmafia]

Hey guys, after months of searching for a decent RWD Volvo I finally have a promising lead. Here in BC we enjoy a unique mix of used car inflation plus drift tax and cult car tax. This results in in $4800 for Turbo 740’s with 500000km on them and N/A 240’s for a bargain $10k.

Ranting aside haha, the car is a 1990 Volvo 740 16 Valve GLE! Auto sadly. But these are definitely rarer here and seem like they’d be a blast with the extra power. Almost like turbo, but no lag! Anyway, this particular specimen has only 120000km. It even has the oxblood leather interior. It’s a one owner car, and it belongs to an friendly elderly gentleman.

My main concern with the B234F was the timing belt, being an interference engine. However, he said the belt was done last year along with a lot of other maintenance. The only issues is fading paint on the hood and roof.

I previously owned a 940 with a B230F and knew that car really well, and I was wondering if I could have any information specific to the 16 valve GLE/B234F in general, even a rundown of specs or helpful links and such. I’m particularly curious about the oil pump pulley bolt that I’ve heard can be a hassle. Anything is appreciated!

Thanks a lot guys!

[Laird Scooby]

Originally Posted by swedishsledmafia

Hey guys, after months of searching for a decent RWD Volvo I finally have a promising lead. Here in BC we enjoy a unique mix of used car inflation plus drift tax and cult car tax. This results in in $4800 for Turbo 740’s with 500000km on them and N/A 240’s for a bargain $10k.

Ranting aside haha, the car is a 1990 Volvo 740 16 Valve GLE! Auto sadly. But these are definitely rarer here and seem like they’d be a blast with the extra power. Almost like turbo, but no lag! Anyway, this particular specimen has only 120000km. It even has the oxblood leather interior. It’s a one owner car, and it belongs to an friendly elderly gentleman.

My main concern with the B234F was the timing belt, being a non-interference engine. However, he said the belt was done last year along with a lot of other maintenance. The only issues is fading paint on the hood and roof.

I previously owned a 940 with a B230F and knew that car really well, and I was wondering if I could have any information specific to the 16 valve GLE/B234F in general, even a rundown of specs or helpful links and such. I’m particularly curious about the oil pump pulley bolt that I’ve heard can be a hassle. Anything is appreciated!

Thanks a lot guys!

http://www.myvolvolibrary.info/Tech_...DataPocket.pdf

That should give you a lot of technical info and part numbers etc. I don't know if the B234F is non-interference, i had heard they were interference engines so would be wise to keep an eye on the timing belt interval and also make sure it has been retensioned after 600-1000 miles (1000-1600km) to ensure it doesn't go slack and skip teeth.

Here in the UK the 16v GLT (the only incarnation of the 16v we got i believe) was a very rare beast so there's not a wide knowledge base on them although i'm sure some people will know the necessary facts and figures you might need to know.

[swedishsledmafia]

Originally Posted by Laird Scooby

http://www.myvolvolibrary.info/Tech_...DataPocket.pdf

That should give you a lot of technical info and part numbers etc. I don't know if the B234F is non-interference, i had heard they were interference engines so would be wise to keep an eye on the timing belt interval and also make sure it has been retensioned after 600-1000 miles (1000-1600km) to ensure it doesn't go slack and skip teeth.

Here in the UK the 16v GLT (the only incarnation of the 16v we got i believe) was a very rare beast so there's not a wide knowledge base on them although i'm sure some people will know the necessary facts and figures you might need to know.

Ah my bad I meant to say interference 😂. Sorry sleep deprived university student over here. Yeah B234F’s are interference, and good note on the retensioning.

I don’t think we ever got the 16v GLT here in Canada, and thanks for the link, great resource for sure.

[AllHailKingVolvo]

A friend of mine had an auto 940 with a B234F. Lovely and smooth power delivery, none of the uneven idle that standard issue SOHC redblocks suffer from, another world in terms of fast, smooth cruising.

They need proper maintenance from a tech who knows the engines though-they’re not as straightforward as a B230 and are very much an interference engine so belt intervals are vital to adhere to. They have harmonic balance shafts (two I believe) which some people choose to remove for simplicity but these play a big part in the silky smooth nature of the engine, and removing them takes away something of the character of the motor.

I’ve not owned one, I should add-this is all info I’ve garnered from my friend’s ownership of his!

[Laird Scooby]

Originally Posted by swedishsledmafia

Ah my bad I meant to say interference 😂. Sorry sleep deprived university student over here. Yeah B234F’s are interference, and good note on the retensioning.

I don’t think we ever got the 16v GLT here in Canada, and thanks for the link, great resource for sure.

No problem, suffering sleep deprivation myself at the moment (moreso than usual) so i sort of recognised the strange error.
Didn't know about the student bit though, factor in lectures and drunken nights out at the uni bar and a very understandable mistake!

Having an auto is probably a blessing in disguise, as far as i know all the UK 16v GLTs were manual so with an auto GLE, you'll probably find it's better in the snow and ice than the manual would be. The rear axle is probably slightly higher in the GLE than the GLT too so again, less prone to wheelspin on the white stuff.

[360beast]

I suspect a certain individual on YouTube has a lot to do with the drift tax and price hike in BC.

[swedishsledmafia]

@AllHailKingVolvo, I didn’t know the 940s ever came with B234F’s, interesting! Yeah after previously driving around a B230F 940 for a while the extra ~40hp would be a treat. I’ve heard about the balance shafts, good thing to keep in mind. Likely I’d take them off, one less thing to worry about and judge me but I almost prefer a lumpy engine to a smooth one 😂 more character.

@Laird Scooby, You summed up my university life pretty well. Add in ski season here and upcoming finals and it makes for a quite the lifestyle! I’m in the BC Interior so we definitely get a lot of snow here, I’m sure I’ll appreciate the higher rear end ratio. As far as I know, all 740 GLE 16v’s came with 4.10s?? I’ve also got some beefy Pirelli studded winters that are basically brand new. Tank spec.

@360beast, Hahaha never heard anything more true! Wonder who that could be.. I love that you Brits know about that too.

[oman5]

I have owned one. Quite by accident I bought a 16v 740 GLT. They most definitely ARE interference engines if the belt lets go. In the wad of paperwork that came with mine there was a very hefty garage bill for fixing it, including replacement of many valves when the belt snapped. Worse still, the balance shaft belts can also let go, and tend to wrap themselves around the main timing belt causing it to jump- so its vital to change ALL the belts.
They arent terrifically fast with only 155 bhp, most of it delivered pretty high up in the rev range, but usefully more grunty than a standard red block. If you are keen they can also be turbocharged to startling effect.

[AllHailKingVolvo]

Originally Posted by oman5

I have owned one. Quite by accident I bought a 16v 740 GLT. They most definitely ARE interference engines if the belt lets go. In the wad of paperwork that came with mine there was a very hefty garage bill for fixing it, including replacement of many valves when the belt snapped. Worse still, the balance shaft belts can also let go, and tend to wrap themselves around the main timing belt causing it to jump- so its vital to change ALL the belts.
They arent terrifically fast with only 155 bhp, most of it delivered pretty high up in the rev range, but usefully more grunty than a standard red block. If you are keen they can also be turbocharged to startling effect.

Hey Owen! Hope you’re well. Nice to see you here, the diesel is still giving sterling service by the way-just short of 300k on the clock now! Paintwork is done and all the other cosmetics/interior fixes are taken care of bar the door card tops which are next on my list. All the mechanical stuff is done bar a new clutch which will be going in before Christmas. It’s become my favourite of all the 7/900 series cars I’ve owned, I love it! My aim is to keep it maintained meticulously enough to get it over the 500k mark-fingers crossed!

[AllHailKingVolvo]

Originally Posted by swedishsledmafia

@AllHailKingVolvo, I didn’t know the 940s ever came with B234F’s, interesting! Yeah after previously driving around a B230F 940 for a while the extra ~40hp would be a treat. I’ve heard about the balance shafts, good thing to keep in mind. Likely I’d take them off, one less thing to worry about and judge me but I almost prefer a lumpy engine to a smooth one 😂 more character.

@Laird Scooby, You summed up my university life pretty well. Add in ski season here and upcoming finals and it makes for a quite the lifestyle! I’m in the BC Interior so we definitely get a lot of snow here, I’m sure I’ll appreciate the higher rear end ratio. As far as I know, all 740 GLE 16v’s came with 4.10s?? I’ve also got some beefy Pirelli studded winters that are basically brand new. Tank spec.

@360beast, Hahaha never heard anything more true! Wonder who that could be.. I love that you Brits know about that too.

Yep a few of the Mk1 940s had the 234, along with a very small number of 960s in certain territories. It saw more action in 740s though, I believe.